


Scrawl Caliber Drabble Collections - Finn/Mercedes

by MissChriss



Category: Glee
Genre: Drabble Collection, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-14
Updated: 2012-12-14
Packaged: 2017-11-21 02:38:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/592509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissChriss/pseuds/MissChriss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Drabble Collection.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scrawl Caliber Drabble Collections - Finn/Mercedes

**Author's Note:**

> bullying violence/blood, Aftermath of an attempted rape, talk of previous domestic violence, sexual situations.

I-Victory

Most Days

 

Most days, Mercedes Jones feels like a loser. She spend most of her days feeling like she doesn't belong. She's spent too many days that bled into years feeling like she doesn't quite fit. She watches from the sidelines as Finn brushes past Rachel's awkward advances. She watches as he says no to every girl that ever asks him for more than friendship. She watches the way his ears burn a light pink color when she sings songs about love. She watches Kurt as he pretends not to notice that Finn's eyes stay locked on her the entire time.

Most nights, Mercedes Jones feels like a winner. She fits perfectly into thick, strong arms. They play together like music that shouldn't sound beautiful but works its way under your skin to rest on your bones. Surrounded by the darkness of the night, she tastes herself on his skin and she thinks she knows what victory tastes like.

 

II-Warm

First and Last

 

Fire burns its way though his veins. His blood boils in his ears and he can't remember a moment when he was ever this angry. Karofsky had Mercedes pressed up against a locker and even from the other end of the hall, Finn can see her struggling. Hear her muffled cries against Karofsky's lips. Everyone knows that Mercedes is Finn's girl. But they don't know that Dave is stealing her first kiss. Something they've been saving. Something she wanted to wait to give him until he was sure about her.

The skin on his knuckles lights up as blood explodes from Karofsky's nose. His eyes blur as anger chokes him. It isn't until he feels his back pressed against Mercedes' chest that the cloud clears. His chest is heaving and her hands are shaking against his biceps. Her tears drop helplessly against the back of his cotton shirt and her breath shudders in gasps of relief.

Later that night, she falls asleep against his shoulder. Her breath is warm and sweet against his neck. He knows that he can never be her first kiss. But he promises to be her last.

 

III-Laugh

 

Life In Short Sounds

 

It's in the loud guffawing bursts. It's in the half-hearted chuckle that always reminds him that she's humoring him. It's in the shy giggle that always happens the minute he ever calls her beautiful. It's in the fake plastic crinkle that she only uses when Rachel makes an insensitive comment. It's in the quiet barely contained squeal that always shatters the mood when his hands skim over all her secret ticklish places. It's in the breathy laughing gasp that she can never hold back after she's come and he presses his forehead against hers. He wants to find the person behind and in between all those different laughs. He aches to live with that person. The one that's honest in the space between. Because he thinks he could love her and most of him thinks she could love him back

 

IV-Embrace

Peach Hues

 

His mom stopped hugging him after he turned twelve. He doesn't think she did it on purpose but soon she just stopped. He's too shy to ask for them and after the time that she hugged him after no one but Puck came to his birthday party she never did it unsolicited. In fact no one hugs him anymore. Quinn hardly let him near her and Rachel spends most of her time in her own head.

He always thought it was because he was too big. Too much for most people to embrace. Even Mr Schue's hug had felt forced. The light grip on his shoulders wasn't enough and he only left feeling embarrassed by how hard he'd hugged someone who didn't hug him back as hard.

It isn't until he's seventeen that he feels that comforting rush of pressure and warmth. They've just won Nationals and he can see Rachel jump into Mike's arms. He smiles to himself because he's happy Rachel was finally able to find someone who liked to listen just as much as she liked to talk.

Strong arms wrap around his neck and he is pulled down into the tightest hug he could ever remember getting. When he returns the hug, it tightens even further and satisfaction tingles its way up his spine. He burrows his face into her neck and he can smell peaches. He smiles against her soft skin.

Mercedes always smells like peaches.

 

V-Curse

H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

It didn't happen often. It came in little slips that he learned never to remark upon. He kept those times close to him. The small moments that she didn't censor herself. The harsh whisper of fuck, baby and the loud shout of so fuckin' good were the sounds that got him through the nights when he couldn't sneak in through her bedroom window.

They've spent hours slipping in and through each other. They left room after room with the each others smell on their skin. She left blushing that she had gotten so vocal and he left with the words painting a blush across his cheek.

Soon, she'll be able to talk about love and that forever is what she feels when they touch. Until then he comforts himself with the fact that she never swears in public.

 

VI-Thrown  
She's Not Quinn

Part of her should have known. She remembers that way her father used to mutter hateful things under his breath when they would pass a biracial kid. She should have known but that didn't change to sick feeling that settles into the pit of her stomach. Her dad had just thrown out of the house. The grass was thick under her feet and her hand was resting protectively over belly. It took her three months for her to tell her father. She knew what would happen if she told him before it was too late to 'deal with it'. Finn tells her he always has a home with him but it isn't until Carole presses her into a hard hug and ushers her inside that she thinks that might be true. Falling asleep wrapped in his arms, she hopes that their son has Finn's eyes.

 

VII-Shout

A Few Of His Favorite Things

He wants to shout it from the rooftops. He can't believe that she would choose him. To him, she's the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She wants to keep them quiet. She doesn't want to be the one that lowers his social standing. This is one of those situations that he really doesn't care. She's his glee club. She's his football. She's his mac and cheese. She's his boom and his bip. She's his and she worth more than all of that.

So yeah, he wants to shout it from the rooftops but he'll have to settle for hallway kisses and taking her to the prom.

**

I- Secret

Quiet, Quiet, Loud

 

They keep each other like a secret. They trade kisses in the dark. They brush the tops of their hands across each others when they pass in the hallway. They look like they're single to the rest of the world and they lie to their friends. Neither of them know how they entered into this little agreement of silence. But each one knows why they keep it. Finn lives in fear that she'll realize how much better she is than him. That like Quinn and Rachel, she'll find the boy that deserves her. Mercedes keeps her mouth shut because she knows what happens to girls like her who are with guys like him. That if she said it out loud, someone would try and take him away.

But secrets only last long enough to make you ready for them. The truth of them glows on her skin and shines on his face. When he's almost falling asleep in class, he starts singing Billie Holiday under his breath and when she gets bored she hums the theme to Super Mario Bro. She started wearing high collars so she doesn't have to explain the faint marks he left on her skin. He blushes when Puck notices the light pink stripes down his back. Soon Puck corners her in the music room and warns her that if she breaks Finn's heart, he will cut a bitch.

And just like that, they aren't a secret. They're real. Fingers laced together, kissing in the hallway, talk-that-way-about-my-girl-and-I-will-end-you, meet the parents kind of real. And neither of them can even remember why being quiet seemed like such a good idea.

 

II- Read

When The Rainbow Is Enuf

The one of the things about Mercedes that Finn loves is her bookshelf. It's so high that even he has to stand on his tiptoes to see the top shelf. It's littered with mismatched frames filled with smiling pictures of the people she loves. Cd's overflow in large piles, singing the songs that she sings when she's all by herself. Knickknacks dot the edge and remind him of carnivals and kissing booths and the start of everything. Her books are always perfect. Neatly lined up and in alphabetical order by genre. She has everything. Her bookshelf reminds him of her. He sees her in the titles. He sees the shy girl that curls up with Are you there God, it's me Margret?. He sees the girl with the wicked sense of humor that cackles wildly while reading Hunter S. Thompson or Chuck Palahniuk. He sees the girl with her dark framed glasses, eyes sparkling with tears, as she reads Maya Angelou and Ntozake Shange. He sees the girl that sparks of girl power and buys a pair of roller skates after reading Derby Girl.

Sometimes she lets him take a few of her books home. She never complains that he takes forever to read them or the fact that after he's done, she has to explain almost the entire thing to him anyway. She lets him read her stories and he's as grateful for that as he is about the nights spent learning the lines of her skin. Her books are windows into who she is. Even when he's a little bit slow and sometimes forgets or folds down the corners, she's always willing to let him read.

 

III- Burn

Jill Scott and Misunderstandings

 

Pain is something Mercedes Jones is very familiar with. She knows the way it feels when your heart cracks and it takes a piece of your soul to fix it. She knows that she was always supposed to lose him. His goofy grin and awkward stance were never hers to hold forever. Girls like her don't end up with guys like him. She's the one that he'll look back on when he's telling stories of all the girls that danced though his life. She's the one that his beautiful, thin, perfect wife will giggle about in ten years. She's the one that will be the time he went slumming. She knew all this but she still couldn't make herself not love him.

His hands roamed over her body like they were meant to be there. They found places she didn't even know existed and she was pretty sure no one else would be able to find them. He smiled at her like she meant something to him. That's why seeing him huddled close to Rachel by his locker almost breaks her. His head is down, almost touching her forehead and it looks like they're whispering. Watching his strong arms fold around Rachel's thin shoulders reminds her of all the ways she doesn't measure up. Tears prickle behind her eyes but she can't look away. His eyes catch hers across the hall and his face lights up. His excited walk tells her that he's got big news and she hates that she knows that.

“Baby, you'll never guess what Rachel managed to pull off for us.” Finn is beaming and his excitement leaves him blind about her discomfort. He pulls two tickets from his back pocket and waves them in her face.

“Two tickets to Jill Scott... with sneaky entry because the club is over 18... and a meet and greet because one of her dads knows a guy who knows a guy.”

“That's what you've been so sneaky about?”

“Course, babe. It wasn't for sure and I wanted to surprise you.”

As he pulls her into a deep kiss, the tears fall down her cheeks. She knows what pain feels like. She's been dealing with it and bracing for it all her life. It's what she thought was waiting for her at every turn. It was the thing that Finn was never the cause of. She's not used to the idea of someone she loves not hurting her.

Love is something she's not very familiar with. But Finn makes it feel like it's something he's willing to give her forever. He tucks her under his arm and throws his shoulders back like he's got the most beautiful girl in the whole school by his side. Every time he does, she gets closer to thinking that he might be right.

 

IV- Teach

Snare and Kick Drums

Finn tells her that it's really easy. That he managed to learned it so how hard could it be? Dancing requires rhythm and she could easily master the cadence of different vocal styles, so she really didn't think it would be a problem. She really doesn't get why Mr Schue wants her to play a drum solo during the costume change but she's learned a long time ago to take the spotlight and solos wherever she can get them. For the good of the club, Finn offers to help.

The Hudson house is small and feels like a home. She wonders what it's like to live somewhere that isn't filled with light that burns your eyes and parents that spend less time there than the cleaning lady. His house smells like flowers and is warm with the sounds of Carole cooking dinner.

He shows her what she's supposed to do. Losing his awkward fidgeting and behind the drum set he looks like a god. Heat pools in her belly and she curses the way his touch sends shivers running up her arm. His strong hands guide her and his breath is hot on the back of her neck. When she finally settles into the shaky feeling, she gets it. It sounds like it's supposed to sound and she actually feels cool.

She jumps up and pulls him into a tight hug. She tries to pull back but is held firm by his arms. His lips are warm on hers and his face flushes when Carole calls that it's time for dinner. They share Chicken Parmesan and hold hands under the table.

In the end she's not entirely sure why Mr Schue thought they needed a drum solo but she is sure that it was the best idea he ever had.

 

V- Beg

Pinned Wrists

The first time he hears the harsh, broken whisper he knows that he's never heard anything so beautiful. They're on his bed and his arms are bracing themselves on either side of her head. Her soft body is plaint beneath him and she shudders as she accepts each teasing thrust. She grumbles at the way their clothing impedes the friction and starts to match his thrusts.

A questing hand snakes down to his zipper but Finn locks his fingers around her wrist before pressing both of her hands down against the bed. He feels the moment she surrenders to him and fits himself firmly between her splayed thighs. Her skirt rides up her leg as Finn pushes down harder on her wrists and Mercedes arches into his next tiny movement. The thin cotton of her panties brush the cool denim of his jeans and he feels all his control break. He brings his hips forward in a sharp thrust and feels heat pool in his belly as her eyes shoot open in shocked pleasure.

He rolls his hip firmly against her and feels the tingling sensation at the base of his spine. She's fighting against his hold, trying to lean up to kiss him but she settles for curling her fingertips over the soft skin on the top of his hand. Her compliance is rewarded by a bruising kiss before he pulls back and juts his hips forward. He watches as she comes undone. The silent scream that falls from her open mouth and the violent rolling sounds of her begging for more. Her pupils are wide and her cheeks are tinted with a soft pink color. It makes him think of all the other places she's pink. He guides her hand to the front of his pants and smiles as her eager hand fumbles with the top button.

He's the only one that has ever seen the way her body squirms when she's touched the right way. He thinks that's one thing he will always be grateful for.

 

VI- Pure

Silver and Gold

Her dress matches the pure white blanket of snow that dampens the ends of her train as she walks into the church. The purple roses in her hair smell like springtime and are a sharp contrast to the cold January weather. She almost doesn't feel the way Kurt's hands fumble with the finishing touches of her look. All she can see is the woman that is looking back at her from the mirror. Her dark skin makes the white of the dress seem even more vivid. The soft silk hides the small marks that Finn had sucked onto her skin two nights before and she's wearing his father's wedding ring around her neck on a thin gold chain. Her little sister keeps saying that the gold clashes with the sterling roses and the silver jewelry accents but she can't bring herself to take it off. Finn had given it to her on the five year anniversary of their first date and it hasn't left her skin since.

In the end she knows that she should feel nervous. She should feel everyone's eyes on her as she walks down the aisle. But that's the day she learns about feeling like someone only has eyes for you.

Finn looks like a nerdy James Bond in his tux and his eyes sparkle with unshed tears. His shaky voice whispers words she wasn't sure she'd ever hear and she gets it.

They are the two things that were never supposed to fit. Too big for this world and the kind of people that didn't care about gold clashing with silver or snow on the bottom of your dress. They were the ones that could stand in front of two hundred people and only see each other.

 

VI- Taint

Private

She always been the one that would worry about what others would say about them. She spent hours convincing him that being with her in public would hurt him, taint his social standing more than glee already did. Lima was not the most progressive town and interracial relationship are still a very hot button issue. It hurts her to see the pin thin cheerleaders hitting on him every day that he seems single.

Jealously burns in the bottom of her stomach when Sam and Quinn kiss goodbye in the hallway or when Mike and Tina cuddle between classes. She wants to scream about the fact Finn chose her. That she's the one he shares his secrets with and comforts him when he wakes up terrified from his dog nightmare.

She loves the fact that she knows about his dog nightmare. He knows how she likes her tea and she knows that mushrooms make him break out in hives. He knows that she would rather spend a Friday night reading him short passages from her favorite books than rocking out at Santana's weekend parties. She knows that he doesn't mind not going to those parties. But part of her wonders what it would be like to walking into one of them on Finn's arm. To watch him play beer pong with Puck and take care of him when he gets a bit too tipsy. She wonders if he would take her upstairs to make out. Would he care if someone said something about it?

In the end though it comes down to Rachel's wayward hands on Finn's ass and her shiny lips on his neck. That's what finally made her realize that she needed people to know about what they had. Frankly, that bitch needed to recognize that Finn was hers.

When she pushed him back into the locker, the metal echoed louder than she thought it would and she cringed as she felt all the eyes in the hall turn to him. She asked his permission with her eyes and they softened with surprise. She slams her lips up into his and pulls him forward. His hands fall to all the familiar places and it's obvious to everyone that it's not their first kiss.

From behind her, Mercedes can hear Rachel's surprised mumblings and the whispers from the pack of cheerleader a few feet away. Ahead of her all she sees is the door that leads into the sunshine and Finn smiling at her in a way he usually saves for when they're alone.

She deserves beer pong and knowing his secrets. She deserves cuddling between classes and kissing goodbye before in the halls. She deserves party night make out sessions and school dances.

She deserves love and she deserves Finn.

**

Smoke- Where There's Fire

Her bare feet sink in the dewy wet grass. The edge of her robe brushes over the delicate bones of her ankles, sending shivers through her body. She watches as the men in yellow rush around her front yard. The police are asking her mom about what happened. When she hears her mom use words like shattered glass and Molotov cocktail, she visibly flinches. The ghosting spray of the water hits her face and all she knows is she wants to leave.

Her mom is talking to the cops. Her brother is calling anyone who could ever have his back in an attempt to find out who did this. Her baby sister is clinging desperately to her mom's leg, silent tears of fear rolling down delicate cheeks. It's easier than it should be for her to walk away. She just turns and slips into the darkness.

She walks down the middle of the deserted street, her arms hanging limp at her sides. The pavement is rough on her bare feet and her steps are slow. She feels like she's walking through molasses. She doesn't think about where she's going. Doesn't even really care. The wind whips her hair away from her face and before she knows it she's in front of the Hummel's front door.

She knocks so lightly she's sure no one could hear it but after a few seconds Finn opens the door. His eyes are drowsy and full of sleep. The pale skin of his naked chest shines in the bright moonlight. She sees the mark she left on the skin right next to his belly button. It reminds her that this is all her fault.

She doesn't let him pull her inside. She stands on his front porch railing against the injustice of it all. Crying for all the reasons she thought he shouldn't love her. Crying for the realization that maybe she got what she deserved. She was stupid to think she deserved to love someone like him.

Her tears leave angry streaks on her soot-covered face and by the time she's finally done talking she lets Finn pull her inside.

She listens as he talks about all the reasons he loves her. All the things he has planned for their lives together. The more he talks, the less sure she is about this being her fault. He talks like they are right for each other. Like he couldn't love anyone the way he loves her.

She falls asleep wrapped protectively under his arm. When she wakes up the smell of smoke still lingers in her hair. But that's okay because Finn's smell rests on her skin.

 

Fragile- Brittle Glass Falling Down

 

In her mind, she knows she is sitting down. The edge of the bed digs angry grooves in the small strip of skin that the skirt just isn't quite long enough to cover. Her underwear are still locked around her knees, forcing them together. She can't make her hands work long enough to pull them back up. She knows if her fingers touch the cotton she'll have to admit how close things got to her worst nightmare.

She was always the girl that was too much. Too big. Too much of everything. She used to have nightmares about something like this happening. She used to wake up in a cold sweat imagining someone forcing themselves of her. This time, unlike all the dreams, she had gotten her knee up in time. His shuddering breath fluttered on her neck and she almost gagged. She heard him stumble to the door and the click of the door closing is the closest thing to heaven she's ever know.

She doesn't hear the door opening for a second time. Just like she doesn't hear the shocked, angry gasp from across the room. His voice is shaky when she finally hears it. His hands are inches from her arm. She knows he means it in a comforting way but she shrinks back from him anyway. But Finn Hudson was brave. He waited patiently until she was able to stand on her own two feet. He eased her slightly torn panties back up and made sure not to brush his fingertips across her thighs. No matter how much he had been wishing he could for the past two months.

She straightens her shirt and flattens her hair. She can't look at him. She know that if she does, this really happened. His big hands cradling her face send pleasant shivers down her spine. He forces her to look at him. Her eyes are wide, panic-filled and glazed in tears. The only thing she can think is He knows.

She was ready to fall apart. She was fragile glass. Brittle and ready to break at any second. His warmth was the glue that kept her from cracking. Him singing along to the radio as he drives her home stops the weight of the night from crashing down on her. The sound of his voice makes her feel less stupid about waking up shivering and bawling her eyes out. The ping, ping of pebbles hitting her window and Finn's lumbering body pulling himself up the lattice makes Mercedes remember how to laugh. Finn's lips are soft on hers in a way his weren't. She kisses him like she always does in the dreams she has when she's happy. His warm arms wrapped tightly around her as she sobs into his chest make her feel like it's okay to be a little broken sometime.

He sees her cracks and he's not leaving.

 

Footsteps- Baby Girl Hudson

 

It happens sooner than they thought. Nia was the kind of child that did everything in her own. They both should have realized that this was no different.

The day it happened was one like every other before. Finn had just finished giving Nia her bottle and Mercedes had finally been able to start editing one of her author's newest work. The project was her first back after her maternity leave and she was anxious to start.

Finn had just put her down amongst her favorite toys and Mercedes shifted to let him slip in behind her on the couch. His arm draped across her chest and her shoulders melted into him. She'd missed this. The nights spent wrapped in Finn's arm on the couch, her glasses perched on the end of her nose and Finn reading over her shoulder, his hand resting protectively over the life they had made together.

She feels Finn chuckle against her back and she can't help but join him. She did have to agree. The new book was looking very promising. Their giggles and the crackle of the fireplace almost drowns out the tiny gurgle of excitement. Their heads snap up to look in unison.

Her legs are wobbly. Her hands thrown wildly out to her sides. Her little brow crinkling in concentration. They are frozen for her first three steps. Their eyes welling with tears. She stumbles slightly and falls back hard. Her mouth quirks slightly and before she pulls herself back up. She picks up speed and almost runs the five steps left to the couch. Mercedes throws the manuscript to the side and scoops Nia up to rest on her chest. Her smile is bright.

Finn whispers excited praise. Mercedes can only feel the warmth that radiates from all side of her. Her husband pressed firmly to her back. Her daughter cradled protectively to her front and a heart so full that she thought it might burst.

She lets her tears of joy stream down her face as they both bask in their baby girl's first footsteps.

 

Hair- Variations

He likes her hair. Mercedes will spend hours holding back waves of shivering pleasure as his fingertips dance long the hairline at the back of her neck. His eyes bulge to cartoonish proportions when she wears braided pigtails. When they're listening to Mr. Schue drone on and on in glee, Finn will absentmindedly start twirling small strands of it around his thick finger. Most of the time, she doesn't even think he knows he's doing it. Finn likes her hair. That's why she so confused.

He is pressed between her thighs. His hard cock presses firmly into her hip and he kisses down her neck. His hand comes up to meet his lips and his fingers inch towards her hair. The craving for him to touch her there almost overwhelms her. She doesn't know why, but Finn never touches her hair when they have sex. Frankly, it's kinda starting to piss her off. Lately, she's been having vivid dreams of his thick fingers fisting her hair as he pounds into her. But of course, he doesn't do that either. He's soft and sweet and gentle. It's one of the things she loves about him. But she wants to see him lose it too.

He's inching himself down her body when she catches his shoulders and forces him to look at her.

“Baby, why don't you touch my hair? You know how much I love it.” Mercedes whispered.

“I....I...just can't, okay? Not when we're like this. Not when you're like this.” His voice is strained.

She pushes him away with a firm hand on his chest as anger fills her. “When I'm like what?”

She can see the moment his resolve cracks and he's about to spill about what the hell is going on. His hand reaches towards her before pulling back almost violently to rest at his side.

“When we're like this,” He gestures to the fact they are both very much naked. “ I can't just touch it. I know I won't be able to control myself and I'll want to pull it. I'll want to be... rough with you.” The last part is whispered so softly she has to strain to hear it.

“You know, you don't always have to be soft. It's okay if you want to be rough. I kinda want that too sometimes.” She feels shy in a way she's not used to.

Finn gives her a soft smile and they make soft love. It' wonderful but Finn's hands don't venture past her hips. She feels like she might not have gotten through to him. Until the next time, he gets her alone.

That time, his hand slide around the back of her neck and his fingers fan through her thick hair. When he closes his fist and pulls her neck back, she thinks this might be the beginning of something beautiful. Then pleasure clouds her eyes and all she sees is Finn.

Power- Lightening and Thunder

Mercedes Jones is a harcore, badass, rocking diva. She can stop homophobes with a single look. She can make someone smile with a quirk of her lip. She can make you feel smart just because she said so. She is pretty much the coolest chick that Finn Hudson has ever met. That's why he feels like he's on fire.

He knows that she probably doesn't realize what's she's doing. She was sleeping on the sofa in the basement when the lights flicked off and the thunder started. In the darkness, Finn can hear Kurt's soft snore and her shudder breath. A large crash of thunder is followed by her terrified whimper and her soft footfalls trying to find comfort. When she crawls into bed next to him, he knows she thinks he's Kurt.

She's curled on her side and her back is to him. She is murmuring to herself about daddies getting mad and making the house shake. Her shoulders tremble and he can't help himself. He slides over to fit her under his arm. She curves perfectly against his chest and her hips fit firmly into his groin. He's never been this close to her but now that he has, he isn't entirely sure he can live without it.

Her shaking stops and her hand moves to pull his arm from her hips. She nestles his forearm against the underside of her breasts and her warmth makes his head swim. He cuddles closer to her as her soft breathing lulls him to sleep.

The next morning he wakes up her her hair tickling his nose and her hand under his shirt against his bare stomach. She wakes up feel safe for the first time in her life and can't help but bring her lips up to meet his in thanks.

They don't mind that the power still hasn't come back on. They kiss in the sunlight.

 

Birthday- Countdown to Thirty

The day she turns five years old, she wakes up to the sound of her father's tire squealing off in the distance.

The day she turns eight, she is playing hopscotch by herself in the backyard when someone throws a rock at her over the fence. She doesn't see it coming and she loses her balance. She ends up breaking her arm in two places.

The day she turns twelve she spends it with food poisoning after her baby brother cooked her breakfast in bed. She really couldn't be that mad at him. He honestly thought the ham was supposed to be green.

The day she turns fourteen she wakes up to the sound of her mother sobbing. They spend the day at the hospital. Gran tries to stay with them until the minute Mercedes came into the world for the first time. She promises she'll stay that long. Mercedes was born at 8:07 pm. Her Gran makes it to 8:05.

The day she turns sixteen is the day she thinks she finally fell in love. That day she dressed up. She had her heart broken wearing red leather and she missed The Sound of Music.

The day she turns seventeen Finn kisses her under the bleachers. He wishes her a happy birthday and hands her a necklace with a small gold heart locket. She thinks he's playing a joke on her but she looks around and she can't see anybody waiting for the punchline. When he kisses her again, she isn't so sure he isn't serious.

The day she turns nineteen, she's two months into her first year of college. Living in New York is great. Only in New York do you get birthday kisses on the subway platform while a couple of fierce looking drag queens whistle at you for pulling such a fine white boy.

The day she turns twenty four, she finds out she's just landed one of the most coveted internships at one of the most coveted publishing houses in the world. When she comes home to tell Finn, she finds him kneeling on the floor.

The day she turns twenty five she has a gold band on her ring finger and enough good birthdays to outweigh the bad. She tells Finn about the baby when he brings her breakfast in bed.

The day she turns twenty eight she hears she daughter call her Mama for the first time.

The day she turns thirty, she eats pancakes in bed and drowns in syrup-covered kisses. She thinks about broken arms and dying grandmothers. About food poisoning and broken hearts and daddies leaving.

She thinks of hopscotch with her daughter and wedding rings. About bleacher kisses and subway kisses and the boy who stayed.

 

Promise- Love Drunk

The basement is practically empty now. The party ended about twenty minutes before and after the bustle of people leaving, it's just them now. Kurt is flitting around the room, nervously swiping at surfaces covered in unknown substances. Mercedes is slouched sideways on the white sofa, peppering the silence with drunk, hiccuped giggles. Finn is watching Mercedes.

She starts talking and once she's going she doesn't stop. She babbles about how hard life has been lately. How hard it is to be in love with someone that doesn't love you back. How tired she is of living in her own skin. Halfway though she shakes her head and giggles again. She gives Finn a small smile and it draws him to sit on the coffee table in front of her.

Her voice is quiet and nervous. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, hun. I'm not mad at you.” The endearment slips from his lips before he can stop it but it makes her smile so he doesn't mind so much.

“Good. That's good... Are you having fun?” His quick nodding makes her eyes cross. “You promise?”

“I promise.” Finn says with a smile in his voice.

She holds her pinkie out towards him. He hooks his pinkie around her and gasps at the jolt that travels through him where their skin touch. She doesn't let go as she stands up and declares she needs to go home. He follows her upstairs with their fingers locked together the entire way up. When they get upstairs Burt shakes his keys to let him now he'll wait in the truck for her.

Her purse is tucked under his arm and her hand rests on the strap. Her fingers clutching at the fabric at his shoulder. She reaches up to whisper in his ear.

“Can I kiss you before I leave?” Her soft voices rockets up Finn's spine.

He nods slightly before leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She tastes like strawberry and salt. It's the best thing Finn has ever tasted. She pulls away licking her lips and grabs her purse from him. She slides it under her arm and fixes her hair in the mirror. She gives a satisfied hmmm before grabbing him by his collar and pulling him down for another kiss.

This time she doesn't ask permission. This time Finn feels a little drunk. This time they only break apart when Burt's horn sounds from outside.

Burt chuckles as Mercedes babbles about how awesome life is. About what it feels like to be in love with someone that you think might like you back. She makes him pinkie swear that he'll let her keep coming to the house even after her being so drunk.

The drive makes her falls asleep. Her head rests against the cool window and her breath leaves fog on the window. Burt isn't sure if he heard her right but he thinks she just said Finn. When he gets home he sees the smile on Finn's face and knows he heard her correctly.

Finn pinkie swears he won't break Mercedes' heart.

 

Find- Thickwoods and Wind Chimes

 

A soft ping and a shuddered breath is all the evidence that something isn't right. Finn's pretty sure he's the only one that even heard them. Lately, he's been so focused on everything about Mercedes that he'd even recognize the almost inaudible sniff of disgust she would give sometimes. Her brow would furrow slightly and her chest would collapse on itself for a split second. He'd spent a long time looking at the rise and fall of her chest. When glee is over, he watches as she keeps up the front that she's okay. She tells Kurt she's going to take the long way home and heads towards the densely wooded area behind the school. He watches her walk away until the bright purple of her hoodie fades behind the green.

Three hours later, Finn is staring at the front door. His bottom lip is bitten sore and his knee is nervously bouncing up and down. Burt gives him a sideways worried look but doesn't say anything. It's five minutes after six. Since he moved into the Hummel's, there hasn't been a weekday that Mercedes hasn't breezed through that door at 5:30pm.

By six-thirty he knows he doesn't have a choice. He gets to her front door five minutes faster than is legal. He's pretty sure he'll have two new red light tickets in his near future. He knocks on the door for three straight minutes before he gives up. There's no car in the driveway and all the lights are off.

The wind hits him and the wind chime breaks the silence. He knows where she is. In that instant he knows where she is. He decides to walk from her place. The woods are only a few minutes from where she lives. Thin branches slap him in the face as he cuts through the dense overgrowth. The hill is a few feet up from the thickwood. The wind whips her hair around her face and she is huddled on the bench at the top of the hill.

When he finally reaches her, he realizes he hadn't planned what he was going to say. Instead he stand silently, awkwardly shifting back and forth. His eyes drift to the small plaque by her left arm. The reason for the bench being there in the first place.

For Sunsets and First Kisses  
For Skinned Knees and First Born  
For Sunrises and First Love  
For My Ethel, From your Martin

Her voice pulls him out of his haze.

“How did you find me?”

“I'll always find you.” He whispered as he sat down beside her. He doesn't know what happened. He doesn't know if everything is going to be okay. All he knows that when Mercedes laces his fingers through hers and rests her head on his shoulder it feels like they'll have what this bench means.

They'll have sunsets and first kisses, a first born and first love. They have sunsets and sunrises. She'll be his Ethel and he'll be her Martin.

 

Next- Lunch Lines

The droning sound of next....next ….next and the slow shuffle of the cafeteria line make Mercedes complacent in a way she usually never is. The smells of warm food and Kurt babbling beside her make her unfocused. Any other day and in any other place the small shove she received would have knocked her a bit and pissed her off but today isn't any other day.

Today is the day the lunch lady, Mrs. Fowler, didn't put the cutlery away properly. The day she keeps telling herself that she better tie that loose shoelace before something would pull her focus and she'd forget. Today is the day David Karofsky elbows her in the back, sending her fumbling forward. Today is the day she trips on her old shoelace and tumbles against the metal railing holding their trays. Today is the day metal pierces her soft skin and her new shirt gets stained with her blood.

Like sharks the kids of McKinley can smell blood the moment it enters the air. She looks at the hand that clutched her stomach and flinched when she saw red. Everything was quiet. She didn't hear Kurt's scream for a doctor, the frantic denials from Karofsky, the mumbled apologies of the lunch lady. The edges fade for a bit and she feels like she's going to pass out. Finn slides into her vision and he's worried face makes her smile. Her eyes blink like she's about to fall asleep and she holds her hand out to show him. Her fingers widen before she rubs her fingertips into the palm of her hand. It reminds her of the warm, wet sand she would bury her hands in when they would go to the beach.

“Finn, baby.... I got hurt.” Her voice is so soft only he can hear it. Her eyes flutter for a moment before she comes crashing in his arms.

She stays pressed against the insides of his thighs. Like so many nights before. Her back against his rapidly rising chest. Her rasping breath reminds him of how her giggle would feel when she was leaning against him like that. He cradles her in his arms until the paramedics come.

She doesn't wake up for fifteen hours. When she does, Finn is curled up next to her on the hospital bed and her stomach feels like it's on fire. When Finn's snuffles loudly against her neck, she decides to wait before telling anyone she woke up.

Any other day a shove was just a shove. An elbow was just an elbow. Today wasn't any other day.

 

Realize- Oreos

Mercedes Jones was always in his life. She was the first one to come and sit with him during snack time in Kindergarten. She shared her Oreo cookies with him every day because his mom couldn't afford to send him with anything more than a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.

She was the first person to defend him. In fourth grade a couple of sixth graders have him backed into a corner and are throwing small rocks at him. He really doesn't get why they're doing it but he guesses they really don't need an excuse. A rock hits him in the neck and he curls into himself. The barrage stops but he can't look up. A warm hand finds his and pulls him to stand up. One guy is holding his bloody nose and the other is curled up in the fetal position, clutching his junk. She walks him home. She's so nice she doesn't even bring up the fact he's crying like a baby.

In the middle of sixth grade, she sings at the talent show. He doesn't recognize the song but her voice wraps around him like a warm blanket. When she finishes singing, Finn has to wait until no one is looking to swipe at the stray tears in his eyes.

The summer after ninth grade they all start high school. He's nervously playing with his combination lock when he sees her. She grew during the summer. Now she's all curves and beauty and Finn wants her. She smiles a hello to him as she passes and he feels like a dick for checking out her ass as she walks away. But then Quinn Fabray throws him up against a locker and says they're going out. He makes himself for get about Mercedes' bright green tights and even brighter smile.

She's the first one to come see him about baby-gate breaks. She shows up at his front door with ice cream and a handful of movies. He makes some throw away comment about not being a chick. All that earns him is a light slap to the back of a head and a standing Friday night appointment for girls night.

He's not sure when the pain of Quinn faded. All he knows is that every Friday night it's harder to keep his hands to himself. It harder for him to be a gentleman. It harder for him not to kiss her. He didn't even realize it but Mercedes is the first girl that has ever given him butterflies.

One Friday night, she presses her lips down on his. She tastes like Oreo cookies and defeated grade school bullies and bright smiles. She taste like ice cream and comfort and heat. She moans in his mouth and Finn knows this is it for him.

Mercedes Jones was always in his life.

 

Call- Choosing

“C'mon, Finn. It's your call.” Mr. Schue's voice is tense.

Finn knows this is it. The two girls are standing in front of him on either side. One is wearing the smirk of someone who already thinks they've won. The other is frowning so slightly that he's pretty sure no one else would even notice. One is tapping one foot against the tired linoleum. The other one lets their shoulders fall in defeat a little more with every second of empty silence that passes. Finn knew this day was coming. Knew he would have to pick. They've all been dancing around the issue. All three of them say they're single. But this moment is about more than just who he wants to sing a duet with. So who does he want?

Rachel or Mercedes?

He thinks back on the last few weeks. The tense hours with Rachel begging him to take her back. The stumbling way he's always told her he needed more time to think. The awkward way she would try to kiss him on the mouth when she left and he would turn his face away from her. Ending up with lip gloss on his cheek. The gnawing feeling that she's the one that he was supposed to want. The stunning young ingenue. The handsome male lead. They were supposed to be perfect.

But then he thought about the rest of the time. The blissful moments between seeing Rachel. The soft sound of Mercedes' laugh that floated up the stairs from the basement. The marathon bouts of Grand Theft Auto. The comforting press of her head on his shoulder when she fell asleep during the weekly group viewing of True Blood. They fit together perfectly. Her warm hand would find the inside of his thigh in her sleep and he would forget that she was his new brother's friend. He would forget that she would probably want nothing to do with him in public. He forgot that guys like him didn't end up with the kind of girls that could hang like a guy but you wanted to kiss like a girl. But every time she would wake up slowly against him. Her soft smile would make him melt and her quiet blush would make him think she might have been dreaming about him.

“Finn, buddy, we kinda need a decision here.” Mr. Schue was getting even more desperate and the silence was even heavier.

Finn cleared his throat, looked the girl wearing the kind of frown only he could see in the eyes. “I choose you.... Mr. Schue, I choose Mercedes.”

 

Gone- First Time and Second Tries

Finn isn't sure what he thought the morning after his first time was supposed to be like. He had been more worried about actually getting to sex to think about that. The cold spot next to him and the lingering smell of her soft perfume was still not what he had in mind.

He hadn't planned it. He's pretty sure she didn't either. She was happy about getting into a summer music program and he was happy to see her smile. With Kurt gone, she didn't have anyone to celebrate with. Finn was happy to be the one she shared her news with. They sipped sparkling cider out of champagne glasses next to the kitchen sink.

Their laughter filled the empty house. The light look of happiness on her face made him give into his impulses and kiss her. She tasted like apples and peaches. She tasted better than he ever thought she would.

She keeps her eyes closed while he undresses her. Miles of smooth flesh become the best thing he's every touched. She quivers under his fingers. Her breathy gasps push him over the edge. Being inside her makes him want to never leave. She's heat and tight and warmth. Her body convulses around him in pleasure. They make love three times that night and he falls asleep inside her.

When he wakes up, the sun is still rising and she's not beside him. The pain that rips through his chest eases slightly as he reaches the top of the stairs. She's sitting on the back step looking into the sky. The wind danced in her hair and it carried her scent to him at the door. He's not sure how long he stands there, watching her but her quiet whisper breaks the spell.

“I didn't think you'd want me to stay but it was too early to walk home when I got up. Please don't ask me to leave yet. I'll go in a bit, okay?” The sad resignation in her voice breaks his heart.

Finn walks over to her and pulls her up to stand beside him. He presses a soft kiss to her lips and smiles despite her confused expression.

“Good morning, beautiful. I missed waking up with you . C'mon, I'm making pancakes.”

The next time he kisses her she has tears in her eyes and tastes like buttery syrup. The next morning he wakes up with her head on his chest and her hair tickling his nose. He thinks that this was the kind of morning after he could get used to.

 

Sweat- Before and After

Summer used to be the months of staying in an empty house during the day while his mom worked. Summer used to be having no friends outside of school. Until he became friends with Puck, summers used to be about playing with his action figures alone. Summer used to be no one being there when he was trying to learn how to ride his bike. But that was before Burt. Before Kurt. Before Mercedes.

Now, Finn is loving summer. It's pool parties and glee parties. It's singing until two am in the soundproof basement and all day Halo tournaments. It's Mercedes practically moving into Kurt's room. It's about Finn knowing what she sounds like when she sleeps. It's Mercedes looking at him like she wants to kiss him. It's about Finn working up the nerve to actually make a move.

The three of them spend hours by the pool. Kurt complains when they splash him with water. Mercedes laughs like no one is watching. Finn watches the water and summer sweat dance on Mercedes' skin.

The day he finally kisses her, she tastes like salt, chlorine and cherry Popsicle. She tastes like summer and she tastes like his.

Moon- Eavesdropping and Sleepovers

There are a lot of things Finn loves about the new house. Three bathrooms, his new bedroom had a walk-in closet and his window was big enough that he could almost always see the moon from his bed. The downside was that Kurt's room was not soundproof. That's why he was currently staring at his ceiling becoming increasingly annoyed by the giggles filtering through the thin wall that separated their rooms.

The loud exclamation forced him out of his bed and he pressed his ear against the wall.

“Mercedes Jones, I can see that blush from a mile away. You have a crush.” Kurt's teasing voice lit a fire in Finn's stomach. Jealousy ripped through him at the mere thought Mercedes might like someone.

Mercedes' silence stretched until Kurt spoke again. “Sadie, c'mon. Seriously, who is it? It can't be that embarrassing..... it can't be worse than mine. Noah Puckerman, of all people. You think I've told anyone else about that one? Finn would probably die if he knew. So....spill?”

Finn wasn't surprised at the latest development. He was stupid but he wasn't that stupid. As the silence stretched, the pit in his stomach grew. Mercedes won't hold on to a secret like this if it was a little crush. This was something major. He really needed her to answer the question. He needed to know who's face he had to go beat.

Her whisper was muffled by the drywall but Kurt's surprised gasp echoed through his room. Mercedes' hurried response echoed just as loudly.

“Listen, you don't have to say it, okay? I get that it's never gonna happen. But I just can't help it. He's so sexy. Every time I see him it's hard not to blush. I know he'll never want me that way but I can handle just being friends with him. That's kinda my lot in life, isn't. Falling for all the boys that I can never call my own. You can't and he won't.” Her sad tone made him want to go beat that guy's face for a whole other reason.

Finn heard the rustling of blankets and Kurt's comforting tone. “I know what it's like. Being in love with Finn Hudson isn't easy. You'll get over him when the time is right.”

“Maybe I don't want to get over it. Just because it hurts a bit doesn't mean I don't want to love him.”

Kurt turns on the music and it drowns out the rest of their conversation. Finn falls asleep, seriously contemplating kicking his own ass for making Mercedes feel like he could never want her. He wants her, all right. Like, think about her everyday and imagining she's mine, kind of want.

The next day at breakfast, Mercedes is sleep rumpled and gorgeous. He makes her eggs the way she always eats them and catches the way she fights to hide her blush.

While he watches her eat, he is putting the finishing touches on an awesome plan to show her how much he wants her. It all starts on Monday. Until then, he just watches her nibble shyly and thanks god for thin walls.

**


End file.
